â–¸ noun: a narrow-minded adherence to a particular sect, idealism, ideology, religion, belief system, party or denomination usually to the total exclusion or intolerance of all others.
Over the years I've encountered many individuals who adhere rather strongly to one belief system over all others or one teacher, writer or guru over all others. This phenomenon has troubled me as I am of the opinion no one person or belief system can possibly have all the truth, whatever that is. Furthermore the holding of such a rigid belief or position of the only one being "right" is especially divisive. This divisiveness has led and continues to lead to destructive conflict, antagonism and war whether between individuals or whole nations. I encountered an explanation of this phenomenon in the Dialogue on Awakening quoted below. [Dale Pond]
"It would be appropriate here for me to give you a different understanding as to what happens when one asks for guidance. As we have discussed before, there is the Mind which expresses God which I [Christ] have called the Christ. Within this Mind of the Christ, resides the truth of God. That truth is, in its essence, entirely whole. Its wholeness is expressed by each unique and individual expression which resides in it. But each expression knowing itself will only express this truth in a slightly different fashion. This expression of truth, in an infinite number of ways, is what is called the movement of Creation [or Life].
"Now, as one expression of this Mind may exist in a state of not knowing that it is an expression of the Mind, that brother would not be in possession of true knowledge of himself. As he then seeks to remember himself, he does so within his belief system, or what I have called a dream state. He uses the tools that are available to him within the dream. Memories of experiences he has had within this and many other dreams are available to him. As he sorts one out which to him becomes representational of one of his brothers who has remembered who he is, he seizes upon this identification as being an avenue for him to regain his own memory. I will use the specific example of myself and Tom [Carpenter]. As he has remembered me and identified me as being what I would call his "ticket home," his attention lies on the wisdom which he perceives as being embodied within me as the expression of the Christ. Because that attention is comfortable and identifiable to him, he is able to relate to it and, therefore, chooses to separate it out from an infinite number of other expressions of truth and to believe that the information that comes from me is that which is embodied in who I am.
"As he becomes more aware that my individuality is of no consequence, but is simply a representation of the truth of the Christ, he can allow his attention to expand into his own awareness of his being an equal expression of the Christ. [underline added]
"So as you would ask me how many others I speak to, my answer to you most appropriately would be to divorce myself as an individual expression of the Christ, and to say that the Christ, the truth that is embodied within the Christ, is expressed through many and it is no different than the truth which I express.
"I continually encourage you to look beyond the identification of any single expression of the Christ. See the Christ as being unified because it will be in your seeing its unification that you will more easily be able to accept your part in it. As you hold me out and identify me as being special, you will continue to find reasons why you are not special enough to fit into that category. Our corversations are designed to unite us within the Mind of God, and should I give you information which would exalt me and fail to encourage you to recognize yourself on an equal footing, then we could not be rejoined in our proper place within the unified Mind of God." [Dialogue on Awakening, page 117-118]
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